If a card to be inserted into a card reader is a normal card without a deformation or a stain, carriage of the card in the card reader can be performed without causing any problem. However, when a deformed card or a stained card is inserted into the card reader, a so called jam that the card is retained in a card carriage path may occur, and the card cannot be processed in some cases.
Further, even in case of a normal card, the jam may occur if a person who tries to steal any other person's card manipulates a part of the card reader in the vicinity of a card insertion opening thereof. In this case, even if the card generates the jam and the card owner leaves there, it is difficult to take out the card when a shutter of the card insertion opening is completely closed. Therefore, a possibility of a theft is small. However, when the card stays in a movement range of the shutter and the shutter cannot closes because it is in contact with the card, the card may be possibly taken out after the card owner leaves there.
Thus, a card forcible ejection mechanism has been conventionally provided in the card reader on the assumption that the card generates the jam. FIG. 11 shows an example of the conventional card forcible ejection mechanism in the card reader. In the drawing, three pairs of carriage rollers 82, 84 and 86 are arranged from a card insertion opening 88 side toward an inner side in the mentioned order at appropriately intervals with a card carriage path 80 between each pair. Therefore, a card inserted from the card insertion opening 88 is sequentially carried toward the inner side by the carriage roller pairs 82, 84 and 86, and predetermined processing, i.e., reading or writing of recording information is carried out.
A card forcible ejection mechanism is provided along the entire area of the card carriage path 80 below the card carriage path 80. This card forcible ejection mechanism includes: sprockets 92 and 94 arranged so as to be opposed to each other on the card insertion opening 88 side and the inner side of the card carriage path 80 and; a chain 90 wound around the respective sprockets 92 and 94; and a craw 91 disposed to a part of the chain 90. The upper portion of the chain 90 is positioned in parallel with the card carriage path 80 in the vicinity of the card carriage path 80.
When the card is not retained, the chain 90 is not driven, and the craw 91 is retracted from the card carriage path 80 as shown in FIG. 11. When it is detected that the card generated the jam, at least one of the sprockets 92 and 94 is rotated and driven, the chain 90 is turned, the craw 91 is raised in the card carriage path 80, and the card causing the jam is forcibly thrusted toward the card insertion opening 88 or the rear side.
Here, when the sprockets 92 and 94 are rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing at the time of occurrence of the jam, the card is ejected from the card insertion opening 88. Furthermore, when the sprockets 92 and 94 are rotated in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, the card is carried to a card disposition box (not shown) provided on the inner side of the card reader to be collected.
However, in the above-described card forcible ejection mechanism, since the chain 90 is provided over the entire area of the card carriage path 80 in order to feed the card retained in the card carriage path 80 to the card insertion opening 88 or the card disposition box, an empty space may be insufficient and the card forcible ejection mechanism may not be provided depending on a structure of the card reader. Moreover, since the card forcible ejection mechanism has a large size that it extends over the entire area of the card carriage path 80, it is very difficult to provide this mechanism to the card reader on a post-assembling step as an option.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a card forcible ejection mechanism which can be installed in a small space and provided to a card reader on a post-assembling step as an option.